SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. — When Rep. Jerry McNerney joined the throng of House Democrats rushing for the exits this year, two-term Democratic Rep. Harder, whose current seat is centered in Turlock, opted to move north in search of bluer pastures.
Though that opens Harder to criticism as a “carpetbagger,” he’s shaken that label before. In his first election in 2018, he ran for Congress in the north San Joaquin Valley after a lengthy stint at a Bay Area venture capital firm. A consistently middle-of-the-party Democratic vote in Congress, Harder has been happy to show off his centrist credentials, his bipartisan inclinations and his understanding of Ag’s water woes. Case in point: On the ballot, Harder describes himself not as a member of Congress, but an “Agriculture Committeeman.”
Though the district leans blue, GOP strategists believe its many long-commuting, working-class voters might be gettable.
Patti, a Republican county supervisor and former boxing coach to Mike Tyson, may be best known for earning a shiner while coming to the defense of a stranger in need. Since the beginning of the pandemic, he’s also raised his local political profile by challenging vaccine requirements. But he’s also distanced himself from the divisive politics of former President Donald Trump, stressing that he is “not a Trumpster.”
So far Patti sits at a clear disadvantage in such a Democratic-leaning district. He’s also raised a small fraction of Harder’s warchest. But Stockton-area politics can be full of surprises. Remember in 2020 when this ostensibly Democratic city ejected its nationally renowned mayor, Michael Tubbs, in favor of a Republican? No doubt, both Harder and Patti do too.
Patti was also arrested in 2018 for crashing his car while driving under the influence; the supervisor said he mistakenly took the wrong medication.
California's 9th Congressional District
San Joaquin County officials spent much of 2021 lobbying the state redistricting commission to put as much of the county — one of the fastest growing in the state — within a single congressional district. They got their wish. It’s a collage of Sacramento River Delta towns, Bay Area commuter ’burbs and foothill communities — but all roads ultimately lead to Stockton.
Voter registration: 43.5% Democratic, 28.4% Republican, 20.5% no party preference
This is an abridged version of the full story, which is available at CALmatters.org—a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
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